Lot 730: A Collection of Vintage first edition Ladybird Pictorial Hardcover Books
A collection of vintage first edition pictorial hardcover children’s books published by Ladybird Books Ltd, Loughborough, comprising four volumes across two popular series. The group includes two copies of Thumbelina from the Well-Loved Tales series 606D, both featuring yellow covers with a central illustration of a tiny figure within an orange tulip. Also present is a copy of Tootles the Taxi and other rhymes from Series 413, displaying an orange and yellow cover with a black taxi cab bearing the registration LUW 459. The final volume is The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which bears a yellow dotted border and a photographic-style illustration, with the text BASED ON THE ORIGINAL STORY BY BEATRIX POTTER printed at the foot of the cover. Each book is bound in original gloss-laminated boards and features the iconic red and black ladybird logo printed to the front covers. The Thumbelina copies include the series title WELL-LOVED TALES within an oval cartouche.
Condition report:
The books are in good vintage condition, exhibiting wear consistent with age and use. Tootles the Taxi shows visible vertical creasing and some lifting to the laminate along the spine edge (photo 1, 3). All volumes display minor shelf wear to the edges, light corner bumping, and faint surface scuffing to the gloss laminate (photo 1). The covers remain bright and appear free from heavy staining or interior damage.
Share this lot: